iOS 7.1 Reportedly Cracks Down On Personal Hotspot Misuse

With every new software update, particularly a semi-significant one like iOS 7.1, there’s always a chance that the numerous changes implemented will leave a few lingering bugs, and with Apple having just released the first major bump to its mobile OS since September, it would appear that some users are encountering problems with the Personal Hotspot function.

The ability to readily turn a smartphone into a Wi-Fi hotspot is often invaluable, and I, for one, use this feature almost every time I leave the house. But while the integrated feature within iOS generally operates in a seamless fashion, it appears to have been disturbed by the recent release of iOS 7.1.

A good way to gauge how well a new iOS update has been received is to trawl through the official Apple Support forums, and in this instance, the boards have been inundated with threads and posts from disgruntled users unable to get the Personal Hotspot feature up and running. Apparently, after updating to iOS 7.1, some users are finding that they cannot save APN settings, and as such, are struggling to tether their device’s connection out to their notebooks, tablets, and other digital gadgets. With some reports and forum posts suggesting that the move was made by Apple with the intention to stop users from misusing the Personal Hotspot feature in the instance where their carrier does not allow it without a proper plan.

The APN field has not disappeared, and allows the relevant credentials to be entered, but they don’t save, and when trying to make a connection, an error message pops up.

It’s quite a frustrating merry-go-round with no apparent solution, and while support staff have suggested that it could be a carrier-related issue, carriers have reported back and noted that the problem lies in the software itself.

It’s not as though the issue is just isolated to one device, either, with users of the iPhone 4, 4s, 5, and 5s all having made complaints pertaining to the Wi-Fi hotspot feature.

Apple has yet to acknowledge the problem, but hopefully, will make note of the fault and come through with a remedial update sooner rather than later.

It’s one of those features that, if you use it, the likelihood is that you’re reliant upon it, and with many iPhone users from nations across the world stuck with the fault, let’s hope Apple doesn’t wait too long before pushing an update to amend it.